story time with Taylor

So clever

The "photo booth" style set up at weddings is all over the place and I would have loved to have all of my friends and family in pictures for my wedding. I love this clever idea, using picture frames and a wall concept. Truly beautiful.

I would have used my our family wedding pictures for the small frames. and don't you love the color concept and her ( the brides) hairpiece?.... Lovely

Cheese!

'

Tart recipes

These two tarts have become fast family and friend favorites. They are both stupid easy and I get asked for the recipes constantly. So here they are so ya'll can stop asking!

{I combined 3 recipes for the chocolate tart and 4 recipes for the lemon tart so I feel like I can rightfully

call them my own}

Perhaps the next venture for Pickled Bean will be a cookbook.

Shortbread Tart Crust

1 cup butter ( room temp)

½ cup confectioners’ sugar

2 cups all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking powder

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Mix together butter and confectioners’ sugar until light and fluffy. Stir together flour and baking powder and blend

into butter mixture.

3. Pat into 9 inch: buttered and floured tart pan

4. Use the bottom of a flat water glass to make bottom and sides even. Dot pie crust with four to prevent crust from

rising.

5. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until very light brown.

6. Take out of oven: using the same flat water glass pat shortbread bake into shape ( incase of too much rising)

7. Let cool.

Rich Chocolate Tart

4 oz Quality Dark Chocolate, chopped into pieces

4 oz Quality Semisweet Chocolate, chopped into pieces

1 cup heavy cream

2 large egg yolks

1 tablespoon graded orange peel

Raspberries

1. Make Shortbread Crust from above

2. Melt Chocolate in a double broiler

3. Once melted add one cup of heavy cream and orange peel

4. In a small bowl whisk eggs together and temper with melted chocolate….. Be careful you don’t want scrambled

eggs in your tart.

5. Poor Chocolate into cooled Shortbread crust.

6. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, preferably over night

7. Top with Homemade whip cream and raspberries

Lemon Tart

4 eggs

3/4 cup super fine sugar

2 tablespoons minced lemon zest

3/4 cup FRESH lemon juice

1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Make Short Bread Crust from above

2. In a mixing bowl, mix together eggs, castor sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cream. Do not over beat. Strain. Place flan tin on a baking tray, and carefully pour lemon mixture into cooled shortbread crust

3. Bake for 20 minutes. The filling will be runny in the center, and will set when cool; don't over cook, or cracks will appear. Cool in refrigerator for 2 hours at least preferably over night

4. Serve with homemade whipped cream and raspberries

This week for Dinner

Sunday: Bratwurst, Italian pasta salad ( recipe to follow, check back tomorrow) fresh fruit, and barbecued asparagus.

Monday: Pizza!!! delivered thank you very much.. yum yum in my tum tum and I didn't have to do a thing.

Tuesday: Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, Wild Rice and Green Salad

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff over egg noddles and steamed green beans

Thursday: Pulled Pork Sandwiched, Baked Curly Fries and steamed mixed veggies

Friday: Grilled Ham Stake, Gratin Potatoes, and peas

oh... how I've missed ya

After a fun filled 2 weeks with friends and family I am finally getting back to my lovely pickled bean. Here are some videos from the week. Enjoy, missed you terribly

Vacation

Dear Lovelies,

It's vacation time for the Pickled Bean! Tomorrow we leave for Sacramento for a small weekend/work getaway. On Monday my perfect little family arrives for some much needed R&R in sunny San Diego. Our plan... the beach, shopping, horse races, the beach, a little more beach, good food and catching up. I'm so excited!!! 

All orders for clippies will be filled and mailed no earlier than July 31st. I will be checking my Etsy Convo's and Pickled Bean email but I will be focusing on the Dunaway/Johnson... (and Bradley too) get together. Many, many pictures and gossip when I return. 

{My cute family, me with baby Taylor, Caitlin, Mom, Dad, Allie}

What's new at the Pickled Bean

I've been busy revamping my etsy site and trying to get a better handle on which products are selling verses others. Wow, this adventure has come along way! Truthfully I never believed that anyone would buy a clip let alone ask to advertise on my blog..... Well here we are 2 months into this little adventure and I have to say I am the happiest I have ever been. I was worried about time management and how it would affect my time with Taylor but I knew that she was my top priority so it never became an issue. 

I'm now at the point where I can stop and restructure things that aren't working as well and move toward a more streamline process. I have had a lot of help ( and offers to help) along the way and for that I am very thankful. Over the next few weeks you will see a lot of changes, the product is the same, with some added goodies but the presentation and sales process will be revamped. I also wanted to reiterate that I have done most of my sales through personal contact and I am glad to do so. I was surprised to find that most people had never used paypal or had had a negative experience with the service. I can always work something out, just reach out to me. 

I hope you are excited to see the new things to come.

x0x0

Ash

Leavin on a Jet Plane

We are headed out to Sacramento for the weekend. We will be visiting friends and attend little Ava's 2nd birthday party. Pictures an updates to follow.

Friends

Taylor has the best friends, and I am lucky enough to be friends with her friends moms. She is now starting to actively play and share ( OK, trying to share) with her buddies. She even said Bow for Bowman the other day! My little lady is growing up.

Weddings

Last weekend I had the honor of going to a dear friends wedding. It was beautiful, oh how I love weddings. I love to listen to new couples vows and reflect on my own marriage. It's so romantic and a nice reminder of how lucky I am to have such an amazing husband. Here are some pictures of our wedding....

Canvas Reproductions

My lovely girlfriend sent me this link, for these amazing canvas reproductions. Perfect for my little peanuts big girl room... or for any kids room. Plus, for an added bonus they are amazing prices for a canvas painting. Here are some of my favorites

Ohhhh Eddie

Do you read/obsess Eddie Ross? If you don't please save him to your favorites and visit his blog often. I love how he walks you through every step of his design process. He gives me inspiration daily and the hope...and confidence that I can make his little lovelies too. Ohhhh Eddie, I love you.

Here are some snippets of his table setting from a vegetarian dinner party. So lovely!

Playhouse

Taylor has found a quick passion for coloring. When she is a little older I want to get her this little lovely ( from Unica Home). I love the idea of letting her design her own little house. This playhouse comes with a book full of stickers and an opportunity to help expand my little lady's creativity. Isn't this the BEST idea?

Unica home

This Week for Dinner

Sunday: Rib Eye Stakes, Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli

Monday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken Tenders, Baked Russet and Sweet Potato Fries, and cauliflower

Tuesday: Salsa Rubbed Salmon, Rice Pilaf, and Mixed Veggies

Wednesday: Garden Burgers with caramelized onion and Cheddar Cheese, Corn on the cob and Greed Salad

Thursday: Grilled Lamb Chops, butternut squash and spinach

Friday: Out of Town!

Saturday: Out of Town!

Painted floor

This is beautiful. I love the idea of a painted floor, plus yellow is my favorite color. I am consistently inspired by design sponge. 

Blond or Brunette?

I'm thinking of going back to my usual Blond.... What do you think? 

I've been converted.

I finally switched to MAC, I'm so thrilled and still getting used to all of the really fun features. I can't wait to update my Pickled Bean Pictures and get the accounting side of the Pickled Bean finalized. My sister has been a MAC girl for years now I'm almost as cool as her... almost.

Here is my new little lovely

Happy America

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July weekend. Today I will be with my husband and little peanut, we have tickets to the Padres/Dodgers game! "What's more American than baseball?" For the fourth we are having about 30 people over for a BBQ and a day at the beach.

Perfectly lovely

I found the link to this amazing designer from simplesong. If I had scads of money and didn't care that every time Taylor puts on a cute outfit she covers it with mud, blueberry juice or marker I would buy all of these goodies. Mann is worth a second or even third look.